Summary
Video game adaptationshave been on the rise in recent years as Hollywood turns its attention to all the beloved IPs in the gaming world. 2024 was an excellent year for video game movies and series, which was only proven by the stiff competition atthis year’s Game Awards.
This year saw a lot of variety in video game adaptations, with some primetime new series making their debut and others reaching a dramatic conclusion. There were fewer video game movies released in 2024, but theSonic the Hedgehogscreen franchise undoubtedly had a good year thanks to the release of both a movie (Sonic the Hedgehog 3) and a series (Knuckles). Other adaptations re-imagined the way video game characters had been seen before, and brought to life some IPs that were yet to make their debut on screen.
Fallout
When it was first announced that Prime Video was making a TV series based on Bethesda’s popular franchiseFallout, it was questionable as to how it would go. The games are open-world and largely driven by player exploration and choice, butFalloutmanaged to be an exceptional adaptationby telling a new story set in the same world with many of the same factions and satirical tone represented in its story.
A stellar cast that included Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan and Walton Goggins helped bring the uniquecharacters ofFalloutto lifeand the writers weaved their stories in a way that explored many elements of the video game world in an effective manner for both newcomers to the franchise and fans of the games.
Arcane - Season 2
After an incredible debut in 2021, fans were eager to see how the rest ofArcaneplayed out in 2024. The second season of Riot’sLeague of LegendsTV series was equal if not betterthan the first, bringing the stories of Vi, Jinx, Viktor, Jayce, Mel, and Caitlyn, to a conclusion in grandiose style. Season 2 ofArcanefeatured more ambitious storytelling, more unique animation, and more incredible performances from its cast. While the second season stuffed a lot of stories into its final stretch, it ultimately brought things to a satisfying conclusion that was worthy of such a beloved series.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
Lara Croft has been brought to life on-screen multiple times before, but Netflix’s animated take on the video game action heroine is one of the best studies of the iconic character so far.Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croftwas hamstrung in some ways by the limits of its animation, but it excelled in others, particularly Hayley Atwell’s performance as Lara. The series also introduced a compelling ancient mystery to unravel with many visually stunning and effective action sequences that felt true to theTomb Raiderbrand.
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
TheSonic the Hedgehogmovies have always been effective video game adaptations for their intended audience, but the third film was possibly thebest of them yet. This was made possible by the inclusion of Shadow the Hedgehog (voiced by Keanu Reeves) a beloved and much-anticipated fan-favorite character.Shadow added a darker edgeto theSonic the Hedgehogfilms and provided a heartfelt and moving story to the mix of whimsical humor and blockbuster action the films are known for.
Secret Level
Secret Levelwas an interesting addition to the video game adaptation landscape in 2024. The Prime Video series comprises a series of short episodes with each focusing on a different video game IP. Similar to other anthology series, some ofSecret Level’sepisodes are better than others. Among the winners was the dark and violentPAC-MANepisode, which rewrote the narrative of the classic arcade game with a gritty edge that laid the groundwork fora new title in the franchiseto release next year. The Warhammer 40,000 and Unreal Tournament episodes were also standouts of the series. While notall ofSecret Level’sepisodeswere to an equal standard, the format of the series was a clever one and allowedvideo game franchisesthat had not previously received the screen adaptation treatment a chance to shine.
Amazon Prime Video’s Secret Level is an animated series that explores different gaming worlds, telling short stories within them. Some of the featured games include Armored Core, Sifu, Unreal Tournament, Concord, Ghost of Tsushima, Pac-Man, and The Outer Worlds.
